Nevada City, CA March 29, 2023 – The mission is as old as the music: to get people to dance together! The first step, or foundation, is a series of House, Disco and Techno dance parties called “FOUNDATION/S” which returns to the Miners Foundry Friday, April 7th at 8pm.
“Nevada County has always had a rich musical scene and there was a heyday for House music in Nevada County a few years back,” says FOUNDATION/S founding member Julian Crouch (aka Shytiegr), “but it started to dwindle even before the pandemic and being disappointed in the dearth I reached out to [fellow DJ] Ross Cedrus about seeing what we could do to return the House music scene to its former glory, and maybe even diversify it a little with related genres like Techno. More than anything, we want to create a place where people can come together and experience the magic of this music”. With that if you build it they will come approach Crouch also recruited Matt Wich (aka Wickles), local House DJ veteran with over twenty years’ experience for a series of dancing and community building at the Foundry.
For those who are unfamiliar with the genre, there is some debate as to what classifies House, and there are a variety of answers to the question. “Some people will tell you ‘everything is House’,” notes Crouch, “And you can debate genre forever and never get an answer, but Matt says ‘House is a feeling’. For the more historical types, House is an electronic music that grew out of Disco, which layered drum beats and synth on Soul and Blues in Chicago and you can still hear that sound in the music we play today”.
While fans will recognize the familiar, danceable staples of its predecessors it is unlikely attendees will be dancing to tired tunes. According to Crouch, who has been DJing for more than four years, “There’s such a prolific amount of music being produced it’s hard to keep up. But the sound is recognizable and fun to dance to.”
One aspect of the FOUNDATION/S mission is to highlight local artists and DJs and pair them alongside larger names in the scene. With this aim, the show at Miners Foundry on April 7th will feature renowned disc jockey Sean Murray, one of the few San Francisco bay area originals still lurking in the underground. Sean’s resume includes Sound Factory, Static, Friends and Family, and San Francisco’s Housepitality, to name a few. Playing House music for over 25 years, Sean is said to be in his prime, influencing new generations with his particular sound and style.
Each of the DJs brings their own unique style. “Some DJs are like painters,” Crouch explained. “They spend a lot of time putting together their sets with specific feelings in mind and then they present it to a crowd and see how they react. Others read the room, seeing if people are dancing, if they’re coming in or out, if they’re going to the bar, and change things up accordingly.”
No matter what their style, there is something intangible that happens when a person hears the music live. Crouch encourages more introverted fans and those comfortable on the couch to come and feel the difference in a live set, “Regardless of what it is that might have made someone feel like they want to stay in, there’s magic in being around other people: a large functional difference between, say, listening to someone play an acoustic tune on Spotify versus hearing it live. You see how others react and get swept up in that same current.”
Longtime fans of House music and those who are about to discover their love for the genre can put on their dancing shoes and connect with the community at FOUNDATION/S.
For more information about coming events: www.minersfoundry.org.
KNOW AND GO:
WHO: Shytiegr, Ross Cedrus, Wickles, and Miners Foundry
WHAT: Foundation/s: A House, Disco, and Techno Dance Party
WHERE: Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City, CA 95959, Call (530) 265-5040
WHEN: Friday, April 7, 2022, 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
HOW: $10 Tickets available online, by phone or in person at the Miners Foundry Box Office: 325 Spring Street,
Nevada City, CA 95959 Tuesday – Friday | 9:00am – 4:00pm
The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is a living historic treasure serving Nevada County as a cultural art and community events center. More than a venue, the nonprofit’s mission is to preserve, enhance and utilize the historic Miners Foundry for cultural, educational, and social activities in Nevada County. It is a symbol of California’s rich historical heritage, providing an educational and social bridge from our past to the present and future.